1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to vacuum cleaner nozzles, and more particularly to a pivot connection for connecting a vacuum cleaner hose to a vacuum cleaner nozzle, and a nozzle having such a pivot connection.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Nozzles with pivoted wands are known in the art. These take many forms but include, essentially, a means for pivoting the wand to the nozzle so that relative rotational displacement in a vertical plane may take place between the two to permit the operator of the nozzle to push it over the floor or carpet that is being cleaned. However, none of these arrangements provide the combination of features working together as a whole as set forth in the present invention.
Matchette, U.S. Pat. No. 1,020,104 discloses a vacuum sweeper having a tube with a longitudinal slot in the under side, and a port in the upper middle portion, a shoe having bearings on opposite sides of, and approximately parallel with, the tube, and connected at the ends by arches in which the tube is fitted and secured. A tubular shank having a transverse con-cave bearing is fitted to turn upon the tube and guided at the ends in the arches, and a passage in the shank is in communication with the port in the tube.
Wolf, U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,183 discloses a cleaning tool comprising a housing adapted for connection to an operating handle or wand. The housing has a generally flat surface-engaging portion and an elongated crowned portion extending upwardly from the surface-engaging portion defining a suction chamber with an outlet in the crowned portion. A brush is centrally mounted in the suction chamber and extends downwardly for engagement with the surface to be cleaned. A plurality of orifices spaced along the lengthwise extent of the crowned portion extend from the exterior of the housing downwardly into the chamber, so as to direct jet inlet air flow diagonally downwardly to impinge against the surface being cleaned for effective jet air scrubbing of the surface and “boiling” of debris upwardly from the surface. The underside of the housing is provided with passageways extending from communication with the suction chamber to the periphery of the tool housing for cleaning out corners or other hard-to-clean areas. The outlet from the suction chamber is defined by a tubular portion extending rearwardly from the crown portion of the housing, and which is disposed very close to the surface being cleaned to materially increase the debris “pick up” ability of the tool.
Candor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,398 discloses in combination with a nozzle construction for a vacuum cleaning operation, a separate member having a body portion detachably secured to the nozzle construction and having a flexible wall surrounding the inlet of the nozzle construction and outboard of the same to have one side thereof engage against a surface means around the inlet to substantially seal the inlet of the nozzle construction to the surface means. The flexible wall is so constructed and arranged that a pressure differential acting across the same and resulting from a vacuum pump drawing fluid from the surface means into the inlet of the nozzle construction is adapted to cause the flexible wall to be urged toward the surface means to substantially seal against the same around the inlet and substantially conform to the contour of the surface means outboard of the nozzle construction.
Desrosiers et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,496 discloses a vacuum cleaner nozzle particularly adapted to clean carpets and characterized by its efficient combination of central brushing and downward and inward air flows on opposite sides and toward the central brush and also characterized by selective height setting in relation to the length of the hairs of a carpet. This vacuum cleaner nozzle includes a central body defining an air suction chamber, a rim engaging around the central body and cooperatively forming therewith a pair of downwardly extending slots laterally communicating with the central suction chamber under the nozzle, these slots extending against the laterally opposite sides of the central body, and the rim being settable relative to the latter in relation to the length of the hairs of any carpet.
Fleischhauer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,527 discloses vacuum cleaner attachments which have a V-shaped cleaning head and are particularly suited for cleaning in corners and crevices and along the edges of surfaces. Vertically biased and rotatable brushes and other disturbers can be provided to promote the dislodgement of foreign substances from the surface being cleaned. A preferred universal-type connection between the cleaning head and a vacuum fitting attached thereto facilitate the manipulation of the attachment and allow pressure to be brought to bear on the nose of the cleaning head, thereby promoting the dislodgement of foreign substances from the surface being cleaned.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a pivot connection for connecting the wand of a vacuum cleaner hose to a vacuum cleaner nozzle of the type having an exhaust aperture through which air is drawn into a vacuum hose. A three-sided curved duct extends upwardly from a top surface of the nozzle, the duct having a transverse generally rectangular cross section with a curved front wall and contiguous laterally opposed side walls. The front wall and side walls have lower portions surrounding the exhaust aperture on three sides, upper ends defining a generally rectangular open end disposed in an angular plane with respect to a vertical axis, and interior surfaces forming an arcuate extension of the exhaust aperture. A hose connector member is pivotally mounted on the nozzle and has an elongate tubular portion with a generally rectangular flange at a lower end sized and shaped to engage the interior surfaces of the duct in a sliding air-sealing relation, and a central longitudinal bore dimensioned to receive and frictionally engage a tubular wand attached to one end of a vacuum hose. The hose connector is pivotal in a vertical plane about a horizontal axis between a lowermost position and an uppermost position relative to the nozzle and the duct.
Another aspect of the present invention is the pivot connection in combination with a nozzle of generally square or rectangular configuration having a slightly concave or flat main body portion with a central exhaust aperture through which air is drawn into a vacuum hose. The main body portion has a top surface, a bottom surface, and opposed straight sides. A series of spacer protrusions formed in the surface of the main body extend downwardly from the bottom surface and along a horizontal plane to serve as legs to space the concave bottom surface a predetermined distance above the surface to be cleaned. The nozzle is configured to draw air between the surface to be cleaned and the bottom surface of the nozzle at a substantially uniform velocity which is proportional to the inflow velocity of the vacuum hose, and to maintain little or no difference in static pressure between the air under the nozzle and the static pressure of the air above the nozzle.